CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — Trustees on Tuesday discussed the agreement with the ABC Water and Stormwater District regarding a $1 million dollar grant to run water down Turner Road, and the discussion included the township’s portion toward the project.

Township Fiscal Officer Denise Joseph said the township needed a legal appropriation, and that it was not a share of the project, but a donation to the ABC Water and Stormwater District. She said it has been labeled a “loan” but “there was nothing making it a loan.”

She also questioned the need for the project.

“The main reason is for fire hydrants?” she asked. “Do we have any complaints on record of people wanting waterlines?”

Chairman Joe Paloski replied there have been residents asking for potable water as some wells are beginning to go bad. He said there is only one resident on record who attended a meeting and asked for potable water on Turner Road.

Trustee Marie Cartwright added there were several residents approaching trustees with the request, but they are not on record during a meeting.

As to whether the line was for potable water or fire hydrants, Paloski said both were discussed in the Feb. 3 trustees meeting. He said potable water was the key issue and the hydrants were a bonus that will help lower residents’ homeowner’s insurance.

“The issue was if the agreement could be challenged,” Paloski said. “So we used outside legal services and there were zero issues.”

The agreement has the township loaning $325,000 toward the $1 million dollar project, and later being reimbursed. The new waterline would be owned by the ABC Water District — which includes Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships — and the Youngtown Water Department would handle maintenance of the line.

Joseph also asked that $8,500 of the $325,000 be listed in the motion. That amount was used already for water modeling involving a mock-up of the project to see if the pressures were sufficient for the line.

Trustees voted on the agreement, with Paloski and Cartwright voting for the agreement and Trustee Brian Governor voting against it.

A vote also took place on using Attorney Jim Mathews to review the ABC Waterline Project Agreement. The motion was unanimously approved.